Magazine

The son I gave up

I grew up in the suburbs of a large city. My father was an alcoholic, but I never heard a word about his drinking mentioned at home. My parents fought a lot. For many years, I didn’t know why. Later on, my mother kicked my father out of the house, but he always found a way back in. Once, he literally climbed back in through a window.

I really loved my father and was drawn to him much more than my mother, although I helped her keep the household together for many years. The neighbor children were not allowed to play with us because there was always chaos going on in our house.

-- Suzanne R.

Sarasota, Florida, USA

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